Stockport Express from Stockport, Greater Manchester, England • 56

56 EXPRESS ADVERTISER MAY 16 1990 Their lives in each hands READER CLUB crime your chance to join our exclusive busters! 1S very trips week! Reader Club We will be bringing you the latest in holidays and theatre to suit every pocket every FORTHCOMING A TTRA CTIONS Paris and Venice: Sept 29 £10600 Gateshead Garden Festival: June 16 17 £5500 ROYAL ASCOT Our Royal Ascot Venue: June 19 20 £9600 Jersey By Air: July 714 from £28500 Royal Sunday at Gatcombe Park: August 12 £3500 QE2 5 Day Iberian Cruise: Sept 20 from £48500 Tenerife: Luxury Apartments All Year Round from £29500 Details Available Seychelles PARTNERS driver Pc Chris Morgan and Pc Paul Bamford of the No 5 TASS unit out on patrol High-speed partners who click as a team All the cars have video equipment TASS 5 has just taken delivery of a new £3000 system which has the camera mounted on the dashboard and the recorder between the seats Apart from being rammed by cars they thought had stopped neither John nor Steve has been in any serious accidents during chases THEATRE October 2021 £75 Miss Saigon Starlight Express Me and My Girl Anything Goes and Showboat fS TAX FORM by Graeme Alderson PARTNERS in speed John Hepke and Steve Clark have to trust each split-second decisions their lives depend on them John and Steve are a TASS team policemen who fight car crimes And when they are chasing high-speed vehicles there is no time for the man who is driving to look both left and right Steve 35 said: we come to a right turn John will look left If he says it is clear I will go If that trust was not there we could not And John 27 agreed: have to become the eyes and ears of your Greater Manchester Police's TASS Traffic Area Support Services teams have several jobs to do Recording One of their high-performance unmarked cars fitted with a video camera was used to follow a Stockport scaffolder who was later charged with drink driving and other motoring offences The video recording was shown to the court and the man pleaded guilty Almost ten years ago TASS was set up as a wing of the traffic police Now TASS officers are more concerned with the mounting problem of car crime stolen vehicles forged documents and where a stolen car is given a new identity and resold Last year TASS officers arrested 1083 people More than 60 per cent were for car crime The value of the property recovered was almost £25 million A large-scale operation in Bolton and Salford resulted in the arrest of 155 offenders alleged to have committed 514 offences Another operation resulted in the recovery of over 1000 forged test certificates and the arrest of 86 teople Permanent There are four TASS units in Greater Manchester Stockport is policed by TASS 5 based in Longsight The unit has eight constables and a sergeant who answer to an inspector based in Bolton The officers work in permanent partnerships a system unique to TASS When you realise the teamwork involved the reasons become clear Driving at high speed through built-up areas is a risky business and lives could be at stake if communication breaks down from anything else we spend so much time together at work that it is essential we get on well said Steve He and John like all TASS officers are expert drivers Most are former traffic cops well-versed in high-speed driving in builVup areas The vehicles they use are high-performance family saloon cars enhanced to police specifications Top speed is no match for top-of-the-range sports cars on open roads but they were chosen to be quick off the mark For the police acceleration from nought to 60 is more important than speed Aggressively you let other motorists know you mean business and that you are not going to stop for them it takes the decision out of their hands and they let you through drive aggressively but safety is still of paramount importance We would rather lose a car than put lives at said Steve When a TASS car or indeed an ordinary police vehicle is in pursuit it will never use force to stop the quarry The car will be followed until the driver stops and attempts to run on runs out of petrol or crashes The help of a TASS team may also be requested to lead a chase where other police cars are involved but the TASS officers spend only a small percentage of their time chasing other vehicles Around a third of the total number of offences committed every year is car crime This includes not only stealing cars but also theft of property from vehicles and the use of forged MOT and other documents A major area of concern are the 25 per cent of vehicles which are stolen and never recovered Dispose Spot checks are made on vehicles suspected stolen and arrests are made but months can be spent cracking the msgor gangs a lot of crime these days car theft has become big said Steve may be one team that steals the cars and takes them to a garage another to strip them for parts and remove any identity numbers and another who will dispose of what is left vehicles and top-of-the-range sports cars can be stolen to order The buyer will pay someone to steal a particular make and model of car is even a market for old cars worth only a few hundred pounds They will be stolen driven into a lamppost to make it look like been in an accident and then weighed-in at a scrapyard seen instances where a car has been weighed in stripped and put in the crusher before it is even reported stolen Without a doubt a major Surveillance TASS officers may be called to help out in operations all over the force area The unmarked cars are ideal for operations such as surveillance and all TASS officers undergo training with the Tactical Aid Group (TAG) officers with skills beyond those normally available to divisional commanders TAG officers can be deployed as support to police firearms teams raids security of individuals and controlling supporters at football matches During a major incident TASS policemen may act as drivers and radio operators for the senior officer Another area where first-class driving skill is essential is during visits by royalty or VIPs your opportunity to join our brand new Reader Club Over the coming months we will be offering our members exciting and unusual places to visit For your membership card all you have to do is complete the form below I I Name Address i i I Postcode Tel: Return EXPRESS ADVERTISER A TIMES WOOD STREET I I HOLLYWOOD STOCKPORT SK3 OAB I I Please send me details of the following holidays I I or Tel for your brochure 061-480 4491 Ext 223 A 274 iiiriiiiA cars can be stolen to.